NBC Station Labels Florida GOP ‘Reprehensive’ During Newscast

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An NBC News affiliate in Miami is under fire from Florida’s Republican Party for allegedly labeling the group the “Reprehensive Party of Florida” during a newscast.

Image source: WTVJ-TV via The Republican Party of Florida/Facebook

WTVJ-TV aired a segment Thursday that featured a Republican Party web ad, with the news station’s label superimposed over the footage, according to the Miami Herald, which was the first to report the news.

Party Chairman Lenny Curry wrote an open letter to WTVJ demanding an apology.

“This blatant disregard for journalist ethics and impartiality is a complete abdication of your station’s professional duty to truth at best and slander at worst,” Curry wrote. ”We are currently reviewing our legal options against your station, but at minimum we demand an on-air apology for violating journalist ethics and public discipline for any employees responsible for the creation of this graphic.”

TheBlaze has requested comment from WTVJ.

“All we ask is for is a fair shake, so it is troubling to see such blatant – and routine – examples of bias,” a spokesman for the Republican National Committee said.

The Florida GOP posted the news segment on YouTube and also a screen shot of the “Reprehensive Party of Florida” graphic to its Facebook account. TheBlaze has not confirmed the authenticity of the graphic.

Jeffrey Burnside, a reporter for WTVJ, is named as a defendant in a lawsuit George Zimmerman filed against NBC News. The suit alleges that NBC wrongfully manipulated police recordings of phone calls made by Zimmerman the night he shot and killed Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges.